Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito was born on April 29, 1901 and was the 124th emperor of Japan. When Hirohito was fifteen, he assumed the "Chrysanthemum Throne" in 1926 due to the death of Emperor Yoshihito, his father. Although he was the emperor, he had little power when it came to military commands and deciding national policy. In fact, Hirohito personally disagreed with many of Japan's strategic moves. He unwillingly supported the Second Sino Japanese war, and the invasion of Manchuria. What he tried to do was encourage cooperation with England, and The United States. Despite his efforts, he was required to approve the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack, whether he knew it or not, would lead to war between Japan and the United States. Soon enough, the Japanese government soon became divided between military leaders, who preferred to continue the war, while the civilians, like Hirohito, wanted peace. “There is no doubt that Hirohito the man wanted peace.”(Time). For example, following the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by The USA, Hirohito insisted that Japan surrender the war. Due to his politics, Hirohito was more commonly known as Tenno to his subjects, as well as the “emperor of heaven". He also acted as the “living embodiment of the Japanese people.” (PBS). He was also famous for bringing Japan into the modern age. Hirohito felt it was necessary to branch out Japan’s land. Despite his popularity, Allied Leads wanted to try him as a war criminal. General Douglas MacArthur was in charge of the United States' occupying forces in Japan at the time, and he decided it would be better to introduce democratic reforms. Hirohito nonetheless rejected his divine status, and agreed with MacArthur.